CARSON, Calif. (Thursday, March 22, 2012) – The U-18 LA Galaxy Academy team will travel to Spain next month to take part in the Real Sociedad XXVII Youth Invitational Tournament, the first ever youth international tournament the club has participated in. The Galaxy qualified for the tournament by winning the Generation adidas Cup in Dallas last August.
Led by U-18 head coach Eddie Soto, the Galaxy roster for this tournament includes forward Jack McBean and midfielder Jose Villarreal, who are on the club’s professional roster as Homegrown Players. Assisting Soto on the trip are U-16 head coach Craig Harrington and U-13 head coach Braeden Cloutier.
The trip to Spain will begin on Monday, April 1 when they travel to Madrid. For the first three days, the club will be based at the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s official training complex. Aptly called “Ciudad del Futbol,” which translates to City of Soccer in English, the facility offers housing, dining and a world class training environment. It is where Spanish national teams of all ages train ahead of any important competition.
After training in Madrid and playing a warm up game against Rayo Vallecano, the Galaxy will travel to San Sebastian to start tournament play. The club has been placed in Group A with Spanish sides Valencia CF, C.A. Osasuna and host Real Sociedad SAD. Group B of the eight-team tournament is comprised of RC Celta de Vigo (Portugal), RCD Espanyol, Olympiakos (Greece) and Gipuzkoa Konbinatua.
The Galaxy open against Osasuna on Friday, April 6 at noon local time (2 a.m. PT) and then face Valencia CF on Saturday, April 7 at 5:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. PT) and Real Sociedad on Sunday, April 8 at 5:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. PT). The winners of each group will square off in the championship game on Monday, April 9 at noon local time (2 a.m. PT).
In order to fit the tournament into the schedule, the Galaxy had to reschedule their U-16 and U-18 home games against Real Salt Lake-Arizona. Those games were originally scheduled to be played on April 1 at The Home Depot Center but will now be played on April 29 at the Grande Sports World facility in Arizona.
Helping organize the Galaxy's trip to Spain is adidas International Training Program, who through its affiliations with the world’s top professional soccer academies offers a complete soccer travel and training experience designed to promote the development of youth soccer through elite levels of competition and high standards of coaching.
The Galaxy roster for this trip is:
GOALKEEPERS (2) – Juan Cervantes, Grayson Cornwell
DEFENDERS (6) – Kebe Mamadu, Oscar Sorto, Matt Tilley, Javan Torre, Jeffrey Payeras, Nathan Smith
MIDFIELDERS (5) – Grady Howe, Bryan Guzman, Drew Murphy, Willie Raygoza, Jaime Villarreal
FORWARDS (5) – Justin Dhilon, Jack McBean, Mario Rodriguez, Jose Villarreal, Sebastian Velasquez
HEAD COACH – Eddie Soto
ASSISTANT COACHES – Braeden Cloutier and Craig Harrington
TRAINER – Pablo Chung
GALAXY U-12 WIN CAL SOUTH NATIONAL CUP: The U-12 LA Galaxy Academy team won the 2012 CAL South National Cup last Saturday at Aliso Niguel High School, defeating Pateadores 1-0 in the championship game. Forward Daiquan Dawkins (Inglewood, Calif) scored the championship-winning goal off a pass from defender Brecc Evans (Culver City, Calif.) while goalkeepers Jordan Aldama (Torrance, Calif.) and Alain Hernandez (Downey, Calif.) combined to record the shutout. By winning the 32-team National Cup tournament, the Galaxy have moved on to the US Youth Soccer Far West Regionals in June and have the opportunity to advance to the US Youth Soccer National Championships, which are set to be played July 25-29 in Rock Hill, S.C. For more info about the U-12 National Cup, visit http://www.calsouth.com/en/nationalcup/.
NEW DATE AND TIME SET FOR ACADEMY TRYOUTS: The LA Galaxy Academy is holding tryouts for players born between 1999-2002 this Saturday, March 24 at The Home Depot Center. Originally scheduled to be held last weekend over the course of two days, the tryouts will now take place all-day Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Field 7.
For more information about tryouts held by the Galaxy Academy, please click here. Galaxy Academy tryouts are for all interested participants currently living within the Galaxy’s MLS-allocated homegrown territory of a 75-mile radius from The Home Depot Center.
MATCH RECAPS
U-18 LA Galaxy 4, San Jose Earthquakes 1
Saturday, March 17
The Home Depot Center
In a match played in severe rain and wind, the U-18 Galaxy put together an impressive performance— and an even more impressive win. With two goals from Drew Murphy and two more from Willie Raygoza, all in the first 24 minutes of the match, the Galaxy downed the San Jose Earthquakes, 4-1. In the second half, San Jose pulled back a goal on a penalty kick, but overall it was a successful day for the club as they played a solid game in difficult conditions and were able to get 17 of the 18 players on the game day roster on the field.
U-16 LA Galaxy 2, San Jose Earthquakes 0
Saturday, March 17
The Home Depot Center
After an even opening 30 minutes, the U-16 Galaxy scored the go-ahead goal in the 34th minute when Martin Arrieta found the top left corner with a bending left-footed shot from about 25 yards out. In the 67th minute, Aaron Lombardi doubled the club’s lead with a first-time finish off a nice lay off from midfielder Jonny Arellano. It was a fine defensive performance by the Galaxy as they kept the clean sheet against a solid San Jose side.
U-12 LA Galaxy 1, Pateadores 0
Sunday, March 18
The Home Depot Center
The U-12 Galaxy advanced to the US Youth Soccer Far West Regionals by winning the 2012 CAL South National Cup with a 1-0 win over the Pateadores at Aliso Niguel High School last Saturday. Daiquan Dawkins scored the championship-winning goal, Brecc Evan had the assist and Jordan Aldama and Alain Hernandez combined to record the shutout. The US Youth Soccer Far West Regional are in June, and the winner advances to the US Youth Soccer National Championships, which are set to be played July 25-29 in Rock Hill, S.C.
U-18 LA Galaxy 4, Cal Odyssey 1
Sunday, March 18
The Home Depot Center
The U-18 Galaxy scored three goals in the second half to beat Cal Odyssey, 4-1, and improve their overall record to 13-1-3. The scoring started in the 22nd minute when Justin Dhilon finished off a cross from Jamie Villarreal. The score would remain 1-0 until the 65th minute when Odyssey found the equalizer on a corner kick. That’s when the Galaxy responded. Minutes later, Jose Rivera put the Galaxy back in the lead with a beautifully timed bicycle kick. Three minutes later, Sagar Jambusaria got in the scorebook to make it 3-1 and in the 82nd minute Jaime Villarreal put the game out of reach by finishing off his breakaway chance.
U-16 LA Galaxy 3, Cal Odyssey 1
Sunday, March 18
The Home Depot Center
The U-16 Galaxy got two goals in the first 20 minutes and were able to ride that all the way to a 3-1 victory over Cal Odyssey. The win extends the club unbeaten streak to six game and improves their overall record to 10-3-4. Kevin Labastida, in the ninth minute, and Justin Dhilon, in the 20th minute, gave the Galaxy the early 2-0 lead.
